| Course | BUSI 400 Strategic Planning/Business Policy (BUSI400) |
|---|---|
| Module/Week | 7 |
| Assignment | Individual Case Analysis 2 |
| Paper type | Individual strategy implementation analysis |
| Length | about 519 words, 2 double-spaced pages plus title page and references. Course guide: an individual written case analysis applying the module/week's chapter on implementing strategies through management and operations, with a recommended action plan |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| Points | 125 |
| School | Liberty University Online |
| Program | BS in Business Administration |
| Where it sits | Module/Week 7 in Liberty's published BUSI 400 course guide; current sections can differ |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for BUSI 400 Week 7
Making the Snack Strategy Work: Objectives, Structure and Change at Hershey
[Student Name]
School of Business, Liberty University
BUSI 400: Strategic Planning/Business Policy
Individual Case Analysis 2
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The textbook's assigned case is not public, so an implementation analysis of a public company, The Hershey Company, stands in for it; facts come from the company's filings, and the objectives, budgets and structure proposed are the analyst's recommendations.
Making the Snack Strategy Work: Objectives, Structure and Change at Hershey
Annual Objectives
| Objective | Target | Deadline | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grow salty and better-for-you snack net sales | 10 percent increase | End of year 1 | President, salty snacks |
| Raise snack production capacity | Add one high-speed line | Month 9 | Vice president, operations |
| Launch flavor-crossover products | Two national launches | Month 12 | Chief growth officer |
| Restore gross margin | Above 38 percent | End of year 2 | Chief financial officer |
David and David (2017) describe annual objectives as the bridge between long-term strategy and daily work, and they stress that objectives must be measurable, consistent and challenging but achievable. The targets above start from Hershey's 2025 results, when gross margin fell to about 34 percent (The Hershey Company, 2026).
Policies and Resource Allocation
Two policies support the objectives. First, new product development will give priority to products with lower cocoa content, provided consumer testing shows no loss in preference. Second, capital spending will favor snack capacity over new chocolate capacity for the next two years. Resource allocation forces trade-offs: money spent on snack plants and marketing is money not spent on chocolate promotions, so leaders must explain the choice to the confectionery business. A transparent budgeting process, in which each business presents its plans against the same criteria, reduces the sense that resources are being taken away arbitrarily. Chapter 7 also warns that conflict between units is normal when resources shift; the answer is not to avoid it but to manage it through clear criteria and a final decision by senior leadership.
Structure
A strategy that makes snacks a growth engine needs a structure that gives snacks visibility. The salty snacks business should report directly to the chief executive, with its own marketing and sales leadership, while sharing purchasing, logistics and retailer relationships with confectionery to keep the synergies that justified the acquisitions. Combining shared services in this way follows the chapter's advice to match structure to strategy without duplicating every function. A small cross-business innovation team, drawing members from both chocolate and snacks, would develop the flavor-crossover products and make sure neither business treats the other as a competitor.
Linking Performance and Pay
Bonuses for senior leaders should include the snack growth and gross margin objectives, weighted so that no leader benefits from growing sales at the expense of margin. Plant managers should be rewarded for meeting the new line's startup schedule and quality targets. Front-line employees could share in a gain-sharing plan tied to productivity savings, which would give them a stake in the cost improvements the strategy depends on.
Managing Resistance to Change
Employees in a company long identified with chocolate may see the shift as a loss of identity or status. Oreg et al. (2011) reviewed six decades of studies on employee reactions to change and concluded that responses depended largely on how change was carried out, through communication, participation and trust in leaders, and on what it meant for each employee. People rarely resist a strategy itself; they resist what they think it will take from them. Hershey should therefore explain early why cocoa costs make diversification necessary, involve chocolate teams in the flavor-crossover products and make clear that the strategy adds to the company rather than replacing its heritage.
Operations Issues
The plan depends on building snack capacity on time and on keeping quality consistent at higher volumes, so operations leaders should be involved in setting the targets they are asked to meet. Supply planning must also adjust, since snacks depend on corn, potatoes, wheat and oils rather than cocoa, and those inputs have their own price risks and suppliers that the purchasing team will need to manage.
References
David, F. R., & David, F. R. (2017). Strategic management: A competitive advantage approach, concepts and cases (16th ed.). Pearson.
Oreg, S., Vakola, M., & Armenakis, A. (2011). Change recipients' reactions to organizational change: A 60-year review of quantitative studies. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 47(4), 461-524. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021886310396550
The Hershey Company. (2026). Annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/browse-edgar?action=getcompany&CIK=0000047111&type=10-K
What the BUSI 400 Week 7 instructions ask
Module/Week 7 assigns chapter 7 of David and David, on implementing strategies through management and operations issues, with one presentation. Two items are due: this second Individual Case Analysis for 125 points, and a group exercise worth 62.5 points that comes with its own peer evaluation. This sample covers the individual case. The chapter turns from choosing a strategy to carrying it out: establishing annual objectives, devising policies, allocating resources, managing conflict, matching structure with strategy, linking performance and pay, and managing resistance to change. A case analysis for this chapter therefore needs specific, measurable steps rather than restating the strategy.
How this BUSI 400 Week 7 example is built
The analysis takes the strategy recommended in the previous group case and walks through chapter 7's implementation tasks in order. Annual objectives are stated with numbers and dates in a table. Policies and resource allocation follow, with the trade-offs explained. A structure section recommends how the snack business should sit within the company. A section on pay links managers' incentives to the objectives. The change management section draws on research about how employees respond to change and turns it into concrete steps. A closing paragraph names the operations issues, such as plant capacity, that will decide whether the plan succeeds. The change section treats employees' concerns as legitimate and plans responses rather than assuming compliance.
BUSI 400 Week 7 grading rubric: where the points go
This analysis is marked on how concretely it applies chapter 7's implementation tasks to Hershey, whether its annual objectives can be measured and serve the chosen strategy, whether the structure and incentives support that strategy, how honestly it plans for resistance, and on clean writing with APA sources. The instructor rewards numbers, dates and owners rather than intentions. Analyses that reuse the formulation work without moving to implementation, or that propose structures and pay plans without explaining why they fit, earn less. Using research on change and motivation strengthens the recommendations. Objectives with owners and deadlines show the plan is ready to execute.
BUSI 400 Week 7 help: mistakes that cost points
Begin with the strategy your group or the case recommended, and translate it into three to five annual objectives with numbers and deadlines. For each objective, name the policy or resource decision that supports it. Decide whether the current structure helps or hinders the strategy, and propose a change if needed. Link at least part of managers' pay to the new objectives. Plan for resistance by asking who loses under the strategy and how they will be involved. Use research on organizational change for that section. Make every step specific enough for a manager to begin right away. Test each objective against the question of who would be accountable if it were missed. If no one would be, the objective needs an owner.
Related BUSI 400 sample papers
Other BUSI 400 weeks
- BUSI 400 Week 1: Individual AOL Exercise 1
- BUSI 400 Week 2: Group AOL Exercise 1
- BUSI 400 Week 3: Group AOL Exercise 2
- BUSI 400 Week 4: Individual Case Analysis 1
- BUSI 400 Week 5: Individual AOL Exercise 2
- BUSI 400 Week 6: Group Case Analysis 1
- BUSI 400 Week 8: Group Case Analysis 2
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BUSI 400 Week 7 questions, answered
What is BUSI 400 Individual Case Analysis 2?
Individual case analysis 2, a 125-point Module/Week 7 assignment applying David and David's chapter on implementing strategies through management and operations issues.
Where can I find a free BUSI 400 Week 7 sample paper?
Read a full BUSI 400 Week 7 case analysis below: putting Hershey's snack strategy into practice through yearly objectives, a fitting structure, pay incentives and a plan for change.
What are annual objectives in strategic management?
Short-term, measurable milestones, usually set for one year, that translate long-term strategy into targets for divisions, departments and managers. They should be measurable and time-bound.
Why do employees resist organizational change?
Research finds reactions depend on how the change affects them, how fairly it is managed, how well it is communicated and whether they trust leadership and feel able to participate.
What else is due in BUSI 400 Module/Week 7?
A 62.5-point group exercise and its peer evaluation, with David and David's seventh chapter on implementation and one presentation as the reading.
Use it as a model, or ask for your own
This paper is an original model written by our desk for study. It is not a submitted student paper and not an official Liberty University document. Read it for structure and reasoning, then write your own to the instructions in your Canvas course. If you want a version built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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